Jan Shatabdi loco pilot spots iron pole on tracks near Rudrapur, averts accident

'The driver stopped the train to clear the track. He started the train safely afterwards,' the Railways spokesperson said.

New Delhi/Rampur: Yet another attempt to detail the train, the driver of the Naini Jan Shatabdi Express averted a possible accident when he slammed the emergency brakes on finding an iron pole across the tracks near Uttarakhand's Rudrapur, officials said on Thursday.

The incident occurred on Wednesday near Rudrapur City Railway Station, approximately 43 kilometres from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur, Railway officials said.

"On September 18 at 10.18 pm, the loco pilot of train number 12091 reported to Station Master/Rudrapur City that he found one 6-metre-long iron pole on track between Bilaspur Road and Rudrapur City," a spokesperson from the Railway Ministry said suggesting an act of sabotage.

"The driver stopped the train to clear the track. He started the train safely afterwards," the spokesperson said.

On the complaint of Rudrapur City Section Railway Engineer Rajendra Kumar, an FIR was lodged at GRP Police Station Rampur under sections of the Railways Act 1989 against unnamed people.

For the past one month, nearly 15 cases have been reported in which obstructions in the form of gas cylinders, boulders or broken rails have been placed on the railway tracks with an intent to cause damage to train operations.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said he was aware of these incidents and multiple agencies probing these cases.